Light source control for displaying video

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatuses are provided for controlling a display and transmitting video content. The method includes determining, by processing circuitry, a blinking frequency to be used during presentation of video content for a light source of a display. The processing circuitry sets the blinking frequency for the light source of the display based on the determined blinking frequency. Further, the processing circuitry controls the light source of the display to blink according to the set blinking frequency while the video content is presented on the display. The light source is configured to illuminate a separate display panel or to emit light that form images of the video content.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/216,811 filed Sep. 10, 2015, the entire content ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, systems, andcomputer-readable mediums for controlling one or more light sources usedto display video.

BACKGROUND

Advances in video capture technology allow for video data to be capturedat higher frame rates. However, display devices are not always able todisplay the captured video at such higher frame rates. In order toprovide high quality video, display devices should be able to update thepresented video images at a sufficiently fast rate to avoid cross-talkbetween sequential images. Thus, in order to provide a smooth visualuser experience, it is desirable for a display device to present videodata at a high frame rate.

The foregoing “Background” description is for the purpose of generallypresenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventor, to theextent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects ofthe description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the timeof filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior artagainst the present invention. The foregoing paragraphs have beenprovided by way of general introduction, and are not intended to limitthe scope of the following claims. The described embodiments, togetherwith further advantages, will be best understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda method of controlling a display for displaying video content. Themethod includes determining, by processing circuitry, a blinkingfrequency to be used during presentation of video content for a lightsource of a display. The blinking frequency for the light source of thedisplay is set by the processing circuitry based on the determinedblinking frequency. Further, the light source of the display iscontrolled by the processing circuitry to blink according to the setblinking frequency while the video content is presented on the display.The light source is configured to illuminate a separate display panel orto emit light that form images of the video content.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which,when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to perform the above-described method of controlling thedisplay for display video content.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda display apparatus. The display apparatus comprises light sourceconfigured to illuminate a separate display panel or to emit light thatform images of video content. Further, the display apparatus comprisesprocessing circuitry configured to determine a blinking frequency to beused during presentation of the video content for the light source of adisplay. The processing circuitry sets the blinking frequency for thelight source of the display based on the determined blinking frequency.Further, the processing circuitry controls the light source of thedisplay to blink according to the set blinking frequency while the videocontent is presented on the display.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda method for transmitting video content. The method includes generating,by processing circuitry, a first data stream of the video content. Thefirst data stream includes a first subset of frames of the video contentthat is presentable at a first frame rate. A second data stream of thevideo content is generated by the processing circuitry. The second datastream includes a second subset of frames of the video content which incombination with the first subset of frames are presentable at a secondframe rate. Further, the method includes transmitting, by a transmitter,the first data stream and the second data stream to a receptionapparatus. The second frame rate is higher than the first frame rate.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which,when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to perform the above-described method for transmitting videocontent.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is providedan information providing apparatus. The information providing apparatusincludes processing circuitry configured to generate a first data streamof the video content and to generate a second data stream of the videocontent. The first data stream includes a first subset of frames of thevideo content that is presentable at a first frame rate. The second datastream includes a second subset of frames of the video content which incombination with the first subset of frames are presentable at a secondframe rate. Further, the information providing apparatus comprises atransmitter configured to transmit the first data stream and the seconddata stream to a reception apparatus. The second frame rate is higherthan the first frame rate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary system for broadcasting and receivingcommunication signals according to one example;

FIG. 2 is a schematic that shows video streams according to one example;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram that shows a system for transmittingand receiving a video stream according to one example;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram for a system to control a displayaccording to one example;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram for a display according to oneexample;

FIG. 6 is a schematic that illustrates a temporal screen;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart that shows the operation of a receiver accordingto one example;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart that shows the operation of the receiveraccording to one example;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart that shows the operation of a transmitteraccording to one example;

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary reception apparatus;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary block diagram of a central processing unitaccording to one example; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of a computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in manydifferent forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein bedescribed in detail specific embodiments, with the understanding thatthe present disclosure of such embodiments is to be considered as anexample of the principles and not intended to limit the presentdisclosure to the specific embodiments shown and described. In thedescription below, like reference numerals are used to describe thesame, similar, or corresponding parts in the several views of thedrawings.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more thanone. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or morethan two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least asecond or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein,are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled”, asused herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly,and not necessarily mechanically. The term “program” or “computerprogram” or similar terms, as used herein, is defined as a sequence ofinstructions designed for execution on a computer system. A “program”,or “computer program”, may include a subroutine, a program module, ascript, a function, a procedure, an object method, an objectimplementation, in an executable application, an applet, a servlet, asource code, an object code, a shared library/dynamic load libraryand/or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on acomputer system.

Reference throughout this document to “one embodiment”, “certainembodiments”, “an embodiment”, “an implementation”, “an example” orsimilar terms means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, theappearances of such phrases or in various places throughout thisspecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments withoutlimitation.

The term “or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive ormeaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” means “any ofthe following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C”. Anexception to this definition will occur only when a combination ofelements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutuallyexclusive.

The following description relates to the display of HFR (high framerate) content, such as any content having a frame rate above 60 Hz, suchas 120 Hz or 240 Hz. Generally speaking, the higher the number of framesper second, the smoother the video displayed appears to a user,especially in the case of content containing fast motion (e.g., sports).Frame rate can refer to the frequency at which an imaging device (e.g.,a video camera) captures frames, or the frequency at which images are tobe displayed for other types of frames (e.g., computer generatedframes). The frame rate is often expressed in frames per second, fieldsper a second (e.g., for interlaced content), or Hertz.

Not all display devices are capable of displaying video at high framerates due to display panel or other hardware constraints. Accordingly,in certain embodiments, HFR content refers to content having a higherframe rate than the capabilities of some display devices (e.g., legacydevices). For example, in order for a display device to display HFRcontent at double the frame rate, a display panel would have to run atdouble speed and a speed of a video pipeline would need to be doubled(e.g., twice the amount of memory, double actual video bus width), etc.,when compared to display devices without HFR capabilities. Thus,additional expenses are incurred when the frame rate is doubled and somedisplay devices may not be capable of running at high frame rates toreduce costs.

In certain embodiments, an apparent frame rate of the display (e.g., atelevision) is increased by controlling a light source of the display(e.g., an LED (light-emitting diode) or an OLED (organic light-emittingdiode). In one embodiment, the light source illuminates a displayelement (e.g., a liquid crystal display), which generates the images fordisplay. In another embodiment, the light source (e.g., an OLED displaypanel) itself generates the images for display. Although embodiments ofthe present disclosure are described with reference to a display, theembodiments are applicable to other types of devices such as projectors.

When HFR content is captured by a HFR camera (e.g., a 120 or 240 Hzcamera), the camera's shutter typically opens the whole frame when it isshot. To decimate the HFR content to be shown on a display devicewithout HFR capabilities (e.g., a legacy television set), one option isto discard frames. For example, every other frame may be discarded whenthe HFR content has a frame rate of 120 Hz but the display devicewithout HFR capabilities is only capable of displaying content at 60 Hz.However, when frames are discarded in this manner, a shutter anglephenomenon may arise in which the content may appear jerky or strobed.

To address the shutter angle phenomenon, one option is to employadaptive blurring or heavy video processing tricks to slightly blur animage with a discarded image (e.g., by merging the two image frames) sothat it appears that the correct shutter speed is used for apresentation of the HFR content at the reduced frame rate.Alternatively, adjacent frames of the video content presented at thereduced frame rate may be merged for frame blurring. In one embodiment,this processing would need to be performed by a television set and aftera HEVC decoder to reduce the amount of strobing for HFR content beingdisplayed on a display device without HFR capabilities.

Embodiments of the present disclosure employ a blinking function to makemotion smoother on display devices (e.g., televisions sets) that are notcapable of displaying content at high frame rates to effectively raisethe frame rate of the display device. For example, a light source of thedisplay device is controlled to blink at 120 Hz for HFR content having aframe rate of 120 Hz. The blinking function is performed on any lightsource used to display the video content, such as a backlight for adisplay element or OLED display panel, as described above. The lightsource (e.g., a backlight for the display element) is blinked at apredetermined frequency to increase the apparent frame rate of thedisplay.

The predetermined frequency may be determined based on metadatatransmitted with a signal that indicates an original frame rate orblinking frequency for the video content. The original frame ratecorresponds to the frame rate of the raw video of the video content.Alternatively, the predetermined frequency may be adjusted manually bythe user. For example, manual adjustment may be required when themetadata is not available to the display device. The metadata may not beavailable, for example, when a terrestrial broadcast signal isretransmitted by another service provider, such as a cable television ormobile phone service provider. In addition, each user may adjust theblinking frequency according to their preference. That is, there is asubjective tradeoff between the blinking and the brightness of thedisplay, so the user may adjust the predetermined frequency manuallyuntil a desired balance between strobing and brightness is reached.

An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is an example of a display element thatdoes not generate light and is often illuminated by a light source topresent images. For example, a backlight emits light to illuminate theimages displayed on the LCD. The backlight typically remains on whilethe LCD is in an on state.

If the display instead flashes the backlights rapidly, the user sees theframe, then a moment of black (black frame), then the frame again. Theframes are displayed sequentially. The blinking itself is notperceptible to the user. In one embodiment, each frame is shown twiceper second. In addition, the duty cycle of the backlights may be variedin certain embodiments. This reduces motion blur.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary system for broadcasting and receiving acommunication signal according to one example. The communication signalmay be a digital television signal (e.g., a terrestrial televisionbroadcast signal) carrying audio/video content, including HFR videocontent. The communication system includes a transmitter 100, a corenetwork 102, an antenna 104, and a plurality of user devices. The userdevices may be a television set 106, a terminal device (e.g., a set topbox) connected to a separate display, a mobile device (e.g., asmartphone, tablet computer, laptop, portable computer), part of avehicle entertainment system for a vehicle 108, or any other deviceconfigured to receive the communication signal.

In certain embodiments, the user devices are connected to an antenna, acable, or fiber optics via reception circuitry to receive thecommunication signal. The reception circuitry may be configured toreceive communication signals from a plurality of different serviceproviders. The user device 106 includes the reception circuitry such asa digital television broadcast receiver, a cable television receiver, asatellite broadcast receiver, etc.

The core network 102 includes a signal source such as for example atelevision studio camera that captures video and audio data and convertsthe data into a signal which is transmitted to the transmitter 100. Inone embodiment, the television studio camera is a HFR camera. Further,in certain embodiments, the core network 102 may include or is connectedto a storage device (e.g., a memory or server) that stores audio/videocontent (e.g., standard frame rate and/or high frame rate content).

The transmitter 100 receives a signal including the audio/video content,and in certain embodiments metadata associated with the audio/videocontent, that is generated by the core network 102 and processes thesignal into a form suitable for transmission as would be understood byone of ordinary skill in the art. The communication signal carrying thedata from the core network 102 may be transmitted to the user devicesone or a combination of a terrestrial broadcast, a cable connection, asatellite link, a cellular data link, or other communication networkssuch as the Internet. The system may use any one or a variety oftransmission techniques to communicate data to the user devices, forexample the system may use a single or multicarrier technique.

As it is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, some of thecomponents of the system shown in FIG. 1 may not be necessary. Forexample, the antennas are not required when the transmission system isnot over-the-air but over a cable or fiber. The components of thetransmitter and reception circuitry are dependent on the standard usedby the broadcasting system. For example, details of an OFDM (OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing) transmitter and receiver may be foundin the DVB-T2 standard (ETSI EN 302 755), which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. An exemplary reception apparatus is shownin FIG. 10.

FIG. 2 is a schematic that shows video data streams for HFR videocontent according to one example. A source video data stream, having ahigh frame rate, is generated or retrieved by the core network 102 andis divided into two or more correlated layers. For example, the sourcevideo data stream, containing raw video, is partitioned into twosubsequences of frames (e.g., one subset containing even frames and asecond subset containing odd frames) which are coded into two separatebit streams.

A splitter 200 may receive the source video data stream and output thetwo or more streams. A first stream includes the odd frames. A secondstream includes the even frames. In one example, the raw video has anoriginal frame rate of 120 Hz or higher. The first and second streamshave a rate of 60 Hz each. In another example, a first subsequence offrames contains the frames that are presentable at a first frame rateand a second subsequence of frames contains the frames, which incombination with the first subsequence of frames are presentable at asecond frame rate. In this case, the first subsequence of frames isincluded in a base layer while the second subsequence of frames isincluded in an enhancement layer using for example the scalabilityextension of HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding). An example of suchlayers is described in the DVB specification for the use of video andaudio coding in broadcasting applications based on the MPEG-2 transportstream (ETSI TS 101 154 V2.1.1 2015-03), which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. The second frame rate (e.g., 120 or 240 Hz)corresponds to the frame rate of the raw video and is greater than thefirst frame rate (e.g., 60 Hz).

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram that shows a system for transmittingand receiving a HFR video data stream according to one example. Theoutput from the splitter 200 may be fed to an encoder 300. In oneembodiment, video streaming may be based on the H.264/AVC codingstandard. The encoder 300 may be a H.264/SVC coder. The two streams arethen transmitted through a wireless network (e.g., a digital televisionbroadcast channel). A decoder 302 may receive the stream and output thestream to a second splitter 304 that separates the frames, or base andenhancement layers. In one embodiment, both streams are decoded, forexample to produce the even and/or odd frames which may interleaved forfinal display. In one embodiment, when the display device is not capableof displaying HFR content or not all frames of the HFR content can bereceived (e.g., in the case of network congestion), only one of the setof even or odd frames is displayed.

The encoder 300 may include two separate encoders. Similarly, thedecoder 302 may consist of two separate decoders, or a single decoderthat alternates processing between the two streams.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram for a system to control a displayaccording to one example. The system may be an integral device (e.g., atelevision set) or include separate devices (e.g., a set top boxconnected to a display). A receiver 402 receives the audio/videocontent. The receiver 402 includes processing circuitry. An exemplaryreceiver is shown in FIG. 10. The receiver 402 may analyze using theprocessing circuitry the received streams of the A/V content, metadatadata associated with the A/V content, and/or an input from the user todetermine a blinking frequency which is based on the original frame rateof the raw video. Then, a display 400 is controlled based on theanalysis.

In one embodiment, metadata transmitted with audio/video contentindicates the original frame rate of the video content (for example, 120Hz) or the blinking frequency. The processing circuitry may detect theoriginal frame rate using the metadata. For example, a dynamic range andinfo frame may carry data such as standard high dynamic range (HDR)static metadata, Electro-optical transfer function (EOTF), and data toindicate the original (native) frame rate. In one example, thetransmitter may send the dynamic range and the info frame once per videofield while the transmitter is sending data associated with the dynamicrange of the video stream. In another embodiment, the processingcircuitry detects the original frame rate based on the number ofseparate bit streams for the video content or by analyzing the videocontent itself. The metadata may also include data to indicate a shutterangle used by the content when the content was captured (shot) or aneffective shutter angle when the content was computer graphic generated.The metadata may also indicate average picture brightness information.The average picture brightness information may be used to determine abalance between brightness and the blinking frequency.

A blinking frequency for shutting off a light source (e.g., a backlight)of a display for displaying the audio/video content is set according tothe original frame rate of the audio/video content according to certainembodiments, and in one embodiment is a function of the original framerate. For example, the blinking frequency may be set based on themetadata indicating the original frame rate. In one embodiment, theblinking frequency is set according to a blinking frequency parameterincluded in the metadata received by the receiver 402. In this case,each service provider may customize the blinking frequencies for each oftheir content and in certain embodiments stop the blinking functionduring commercial breaks or other portions of the A/V content that donot have a high frame rate. In one embodiment, the blinking frequency isset based on a user input.

As described above, the blinking frequency may optionally be adjusted bya user of the reception apparatus. An input panel can be disposed, or aninterface may be implemented by software, in the receiver 402 and usedby a user to input blinking frequency parameters. In one embodiment, theuser may input the original frame rate and the processing circuitry maydetermine the blinking backlight parameter (e.g., backlight blinkingfrequency) based on the original frame rate. In one example, when theoriginal frame rate is determined to be below a predetermined threshold(e.g., 60 Hz), the backlight may be kept lit without blinking, forexample when the A/V content has a standard frame rate or a static frameis to be presented. The predetermined threshold may be based on thedisplay 400 and/or the capabilities (e.g., memory size/speed, processingcapabilities, etc.) of the receiver 402. For example, the predeterminedthreshold may be equal to the refresh rate of the display 400.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that shows a display employing a light source(e.g., a backlight) that illuminates a separate display elementaccording to one example. The display 400 may include a display element(e.g., display panel 500), a backlight controller 502, a backlightdriver 504, a light source 506 (e.g., a backlight), and a data source508.

In one embodiment, the light source 506 is a backlight that illuminatesthe display panel 500. The light source 506 may be realized as, forexample, an LED, CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescence Lamp), or EEFL(External Electrode Fluorescence Lamp). The display panel 500, which canbe an LCD panel is provided with the backlighting. In one example, thelight source 506 provides a backlight to the display 400 from theopposite side of the display panel 500, that is, the opposite side ofthe side where the image is displayed.

The backlight driver 504 drives the light source 506 under the controlof the backlight controller 502. Specifically, the backlight driver 504drives the light source 506 by generating a driving signal under thecontrol of the backlight controller 502. In one embodiment, thebacklight driver 504 controls a supply of power to the light source 506.The driving signal is generated based on the original frame rate, in oneembodiment. The backlight controller 502 controls the backlight driver504. The backlight controller 502 controls the backlight driver 504 sothat a backlight-blinking rate corresponds to the original frame rate oranother set blinking rate

Once a blinking frequency is determined, the backlight controller 502controls the backlight driver 504 to generate a driving signal accordingto the determined backlight frequency. Specifically, the backlightcontroller 502 may control the backlight driver 504 to generate adriving signal to drive the light based on the original frame rate. Theblinking of the backlights increases the apparent response rate of thedisplay and thus reduces ghosting.

The light source 506 may include a backlight array, which is atwo-dimensional array of light sources. Such light sources may bearranged, for example, in a rectangular grid. Each light source in thebacklight array is individually addressable and controllable by thebacklight driver 504. The data source 506 can be a TV decoder, receptionapparatus, a DVD player, a computer, or the like.

FIG. 6 is a schematic that illustrates a temporal screen of the displayof video frames at a frame rate that is lower than the original HFRcontent. The backlight has a frequency double that of the frame rate. InFIG. 6, the on off duty cycle is equal to 0.5 (50%). In anotherembodiment, the on off duty ratio can be varied. For example, the on offduty cycle may be set to 0.1 (10%). A lower on off duty cycle results ina lower average display brightness. For example, as described above, auser may manually adjust the on off duty ratio to increase or decreasethe time a backlight remains on during the presentation of a videoframe. In another embodiment, the on off duty ratio may be controlledbased on, or identified in, information provided by the serviceprovider.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a display accordingto one example. At step S700, the receiver determines a backlightblinking frequency. As described above, the backlight blinking frequencymaybe determined based on the original frame rate of the raw video. Forexample, the backlight blinking frequency is set to the original framerate of the raw video or a multiple thereof. In another example, thebacklight blinking frequency is determined based on a user input ormetadata that is associated with the HFR content. At step S702, adisplay of the content is modified by blinking the backlights of thedisplay at the backlight blinking frequency.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a display accordingto one example. At step S800, the receiver may receive a plurality ofstreams. For example, the receiver 402 may receive two streams. Thefirst stream represents the odd frames and the second stream representsthe even frames. In another embodiment, the first stream contains theframes that are presentable at a first frame rate (i.e., a standardframe rate) and a second subsequence of frames contains the frames,which in combination with the first subsequence of frames arepresentable at a second frame rate (i.e., the high frame rate).

At step S802, the receiver 402 determines an original frame rate of theplurality of streams. The original frame rate may be included in themetadata of the streams. The streams may represent video data. The videodata may be provided from any suitable source, such as for example,television broadcast, Internet connection, file server, digital videodisc, computer, video on demand, or broadcast. In other examples, theframe rate may be a predetermined rate stored in the memory. Forexample, the frame rate may be based on a type of programming or beservice provider specific. The receiver 402 may use a look-up table tomatch the type of programming or service provider with a frame rate. Thetype of programming may be included in an electronic program guide. Atstep S804, the receiver 402 may check whether the frame rate is higherthan the display rate of the display 400. In response to determiningthat the frame rate is higher than the display rate, the flow goes tostep S806. In response to determining that the frame rate is lower thanthe display rate, the flow goes to step S810. At step S810, thebacklight is kept constant. Step S808 is repeated for all the framesreceived.

At step S806, the receiver 402 may determine the backlight blinkingfrequency. The backlight blinking frequency may be equal to the originalframe rate of the raw video. Then, at step S808, a first frame of thefirst stream is displayed. The backlight is blinked at the backlightblinking frequency. Then, in certain embodiments, a first frame of thesecond stream is displayed. Similarly, the backlight is blinked at thebacklight blinking frequency.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the illustration of the transmitteraccording to one example. At step S900, the transmitter 100, usingprocessing circuitry, generates a first data stream. The first datastream includes a first subset of frames of the video content that ispresentable at a first frame rate. For example, the first data streamincludes the odd frames of the raw video as shown in FIG. 2. At stepS902, the transmitter 100 generates a second data stream. The seconddata stream include a second subset of frames of the video content whichin combination with the first subset of frames are presentable at asecond frame rate. For example, the second data stream includes the evenframes of the raw video. At step S904, the processing circuitryoptionally appends metadata for transmission with the first and seconddata streams. The metadata may include at least the original frame rateof the raw video or indicate the blinking frequency for the videocontent. The metadata may also include system parameters as would beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art. At step S906, the firstand the second data stream, optionally the metadata, are transmitted.

The reception apparatus is configured to receive a broadcast signal froma source signal. In one embodiment, the receiver 402 is one or more RFtuners that receives off-air analog (e.g. 54 and 864 MHz, or the like),off-air digital (e.g. Advanced Television system committee (ATSC)digital television (DTV), or the like), cable analog (e.g. Nationaltelevision system committee (NTSC), or the like, and/or cable digital(e.g., 64 QAM/256 QAM, or the like) signals. The tuner in the receiveris a single simple tuner that receives one signal type, a singleflexible tuner that receives multiple signal types, two or more simpletuners where each tuner receives a different signal type, or two or moreflexible tuners where each tuners is able to receive multiple signaltypes.

In one embodiment, an audio/video stream includes digital radio musicchannels that transmit an audio stream and may include an associatedvideo image such as album cover art, song title, track information,artist information, and publisher information.

The receiver circuitry generally operates under control of at least oneprocessor, such as a CPU, which is coupled to memory, program memory,and a graphics subsystem via one or more buses. An exemplary computerfor controlling the receiver circuitry is further described below withrespect to FIG. 12. Similarly, the transmission circuitry is operatedunder control of at least one processor.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary reception apparatus, which isconfigured to implement the process of FIGS. 7 and 8 in certainembodiments. The reception apparatus includes a digital televisionreceiver device that is incorporated into a fixed or mobile device suchas a television set, a set top box, smartphone, tablet computer, laptop,portable computer, or any other device configured to receive televisioncontent. The reception apparatus may also be incorporated in a vehicle.

The reception apparatus includes a tuner/demodulator 1002, whichreceives digital television broadcast signals from one or more contentsources (e.g., content source) via, for example, a terrestrialbroadcast. Depending on the embodiment, the reception apparatus mayalternatively or additionally be configured to receive a cabletelevision transmission or a satellite broadcast. The tuner/demodulator1002 receives a signal, including for example an MPEG-2 TS or IPpackets, which may be demultiplexed by the demultiplexer 1004 or handledby middleware and separated into audio and video (A/V) streams. Theaudio is decoded by an audio decoder 1010 and the video is decoded by avideo decoder 1014. Further, uncompressed A/V data may be received viaan uncompressed A/V interface (e.g., a HDMI interface), if available.

A storage unit (e.g., a memory) may be provided to store non real timecontent (NRT) or Internet-delivered content such as Internet ProtocolTelevision (IPTV). The stored content can be played by demultiplexingthe content stored in the storage unit by the demultiplexer 1004 in amanner similar to that of other sources of content. Alternatively, thestored content may be processed and presented to the user by the CPU1038. The storage unit may also store any other supplemental dataacquired by the reception apparatus.

The reception apparatus generally operates under control of at least oneprocessor, such as the CPU 1038, which is coupled to a working memory1040, program memory 1042, and a graphics subsystem 1044 via one or morebuses (e.g., bus 1050). The CPU 1038 receives closed caption data fromthe demultiplexer 1004 as well as any other supplemental data used forrendering graphics, and passes appropriate instructions and data to thegraphics subsystem 1044. The graphics outputted by the graphicssubsystem 1044 are combined with video images by the compositor andvideo interface 1060 to produce an output suitable for display on avideo display.

Further, the CPU 1038 operates to carry out functions of the receptionapparatus including any processing required to cause a light source toblink, as described herein. Although not illustrated in FIG. 10, the CPU1038 may be coupled to any one or a combination of the receptionapparatus resources to centralize control of one or more functions. Inone embodiment, the CPU 1038 also operates to oversee control of thereception apparatus including the tuner/demodulator 1002 and othertelevision resources. For example, FIG. 11 shows one implementation ofCPU 1038.

FIG. 11 illustrates one implementation of CPU 1038, in which theinstruction register 1138 retrieves instructions from the fast memory1140. At least part of these instructions are fetched from theinstruction register 1138 by the control logic 1136 and interpretedaccording to the instruction set architecture of the CPU 1038. Part ofthe instructions can also be directed to the register 1132. In oneimplementation, the instructions are decoded according to a hardwiredmethod, and in another implementation, the instructions are decodedaccording a microprogram that translates instructions into sets of CPUconfiguration signals that are applied sequentially over multiple clockpulses. After fetching and decoding the instructions, the instructionsare executed using the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 1134 that loadsvalues from the register 1132 and performs logical and mathematicaloperations on the loaded values according to the instructions. Theresults from these operations can be feedback into the register and/orstored in the fast memory 1140. According to certain implementations,the instruction set architecture of the CPU 1038 can use a reducedinstruction set architecture, a complex instruction set architecture, avector processor architecture, a very large instruction wordarchitecture. Furthermore, the CPU 1038 can be based on the Von Neumanmodel or the Harvard model. The CPU 1038 can be a digital signalprocessor, an FPGA, an ASIC, a PLA, a PLD, or a CPLD. Further, the CPU1038 can be an x86 processor by Intel or by AMD; an ARM processor, aPower architecture processor by, e.g., IBM; a SPARC architectureprocessor by Sun Microsystems or by Oracle; or other known CPUarchitecture.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of a computer that can be configured to perform functionsof any one or a combination of reception apparatus and transmissionapparatus. For example, in one embodiment, the computer is configured toperform the functions in the digital domain, such as the splitter 200,the encoder 300, the transmitter 100, the decoder 302, the receiver 402,the backlight controller 502, the backlight driver 504, or the receptionapparatus.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 the computer includes a central processingunit (CPU) 1202, read only memory (ROM) 1204, and a random access memory(RAM) 1206 interconnected to each other via one or more buses 1208. Theone or more buses 1208 are further connected with an input-outputinterface 1210. The input-output interface 1210 is connected with aninput portion 1212 formed by a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, remotecontroller, etc. The input-output interface 1210 is also connected anoutput portion 1214 formed by an audio interface, video interface,display, speaker and the like; a recording portion 1216 formed by a harddisk, a non-volatile memory or other non-transitory computer readablestorage medium; a communication portion 1218 formed by a networkinterface, modem, USB interface, fire wire interface, etc.; and a drive1220 for driving removable media 1222 such as a magnetic disk, anoptical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.

According to one embodiment, the CPU 1202 loads a program stored in therecording portion 1216 into the RAM 1206 via the input-output interface1210 and the bus 1208, and then executes a program configured to providethe functionality of the one or combination of the splitter 200, theencoder 300, the transmitter 100, the decoder 302, the receiver 402, thebacklight controller 502, the backlight driver 504, or the receptionapparatus. The hardware description above, exemplified by any one of thestructure examples shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, constitutes or includesspecialized corresponding structure that is programmed or configured toperform the algorithm shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9. For example, thealgorithm shown in FIG. 7 may be completely performed by the circuitryincluded in the single device shown in FIG. 12.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within thescope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present disclosuremay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Thus, the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialcharacteristics thereof. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intendedto be illustrative, but not limiting of the scope of the presentdisclosure, as well as other claims. The disclosure, including anyreadily discernible variants of the teachings herein, defines, in part,the scope of the foregoing claim terminology such that no inventivesubject matter is dedicated to the public.

The above disclosure also encompasses the embodiments noted below.

(1) A method of controlling a display for displaying video content, themethod including determining, by processing circuitry, a blinkingfrequency to be used during presentation of video content for a lightsource of a display; setting, by the processing circuitry, the blinkingfrequency for the light source of the display based on the determinedblinking frequency; and controlling, by the processing circuitry, thelight source of the display to blink according to the set blinkingfrequency while the video content is presented on the display, whereinthe light source is configured to illuminate a separate display panel orto emit light that form images of the video content.

(2) The method of feature (1), wherein the step of determining includesdetermining a frame rate of the video content, and determining theblinking frequency of the light source of the display according to thedetermined frame rate of the video content.

(3) The method of feature (1) or (2), wherein the step of determiningincludes determining the blinking frequency of the light source of thedisplay based on metadata that is associated with the video content, themetadata indicating one or a combination of the frame rate of the videocontent and a predetermined blinking frequency for the video content.

(4) The method of feature (3), wherein the metadata indicates a shutterangle when the video content is shot or an effective shutter angle whenthe video content is computer graphic generated.

(5) The method of feature (3) or (4), wherein the metadata indicates anaverage picture brightness.

(6) The method of any of features (1) to (5), wherein the step ofcontrolling includes controlling a supply of power to the light sourceaccording to the set blinking.

(7) The method of any of features (1) to (6), wherein the light sourceis a backlight, and the step of controlling includes controlling thebacklight to blink at the set blinking frequency.

(8) The method of any of features (1) to (7), further includingreceiving, by a receiver, first and second data streams of the videocontent, the first data stream including a first subset of frames of thevideo content that are presentable at a first frame rate, and the seconddata stream including a second subset of frames of the video contentwhich in combination with the first subset of frames are presentable ata second frame rate; and outputting, for presentation on the display,the images of the video content included in only one of the first andsecond data streams, wherein the second frame rate is higher than thefirst frame rate.

(9) The method of any of features (1) to (8), wherein the step ofsetting includes setting the blinking frequency to a frame rate of thevideo content.

(10) The method of any of features (1) to (9), wherein the step ofsetting includes setting the blinking frequency to 0 Hz when a framerate of the video content is lower than a predetermined refresh rate ofthe display.

(11) The method of feature (10), further including receiving, by areceiver configured to receive a terrestrial broadcast signal includingthe video content, a terrestrial broadcast signal including the videocontent, wherein the predetermined refresh rate is 60 Hz.

(12) A display apparatus, including a light source configured toilluminate a separate display panel or to emit light that form images ofvideo content; and processing circuitry configured to determine ablinking frequency to be used during presentation of the video contentfor the light source of a display; set the blinking frequency for thelight source of the display based on the determined blinking frequency;and control the light source of the display to blink according to theset blinking frequency while the video content is presented on thedisplay.

(13) The display apparatus of feature (12), wherein the processingcircuitry is configured to determine a frame rate of the video content,and determine the blinking frequency of the light source of the displayaccording to the determined frame rate of the video content.

(14) The display apparatus of feature (12) or (13), wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to determine the blinking frequencyof the light source of the display based on metadata that is associatedwith the video content, the metadata indicating one or a combination ofthe frame rate of the video content and a predetermined blinkingfrequency for the video content.

(15) The display apparatus of feature (14), wherein the metadataindicates a shutter angle when the video content is shot or an effectiveshutter angle when the video content is computer graphic generated.

(16) The display apparatus of feature (14) or (15), wherein the metadataindicates an average picture brightness.

(17) The display apparatus of any of features (12) to (16), wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to control a supply of power to thelight source according to the set blinking frequency.

(18) The display apparatus of any of features (12) to (17), wherein thelight source is a backlight, and the processing circuitry is configuredto control the backlight to blink at the set blinking frequency.

(19) The display apparatus of any of features (12) to (18), furtherincluding a receiver configured to first and second data streams of thevideo content, the first data stream including a first subset of framesof the video content that are presentable at a first frame rate, and thesecond data stream including a second subset of frames of the videocontent which in combination with the first subset of frames arepresentable at a second frame rate, wherein the processing circuitry isconfigured to output, for presentation on the display, the images of thevideo content included in only the first data stream, and the secondframe rate is higher than the first frame rate.

(20) The display apparatus of any of features (12) to (19), wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to set the blinking frequency to aframe rate of the video content.

(21) The display apparatus of any of features (12) to (20), wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to set the blinking frequency to 0 Hzwhen a frame rate of the video content is lower than a predeterminedrefresh rate of the display.

(22) A method for transmitting video content, the method includinggenerating, by processing circuitry, a first data stream of the videocontent, the first data stream including a first subset of frames of thevideo content that is presentable at a first frame rate; generating, bythe processing circuitry, a second data stream of the video content, thesecond data stream including a second subset of frames of the videocontent which in combination with the first subset of frames arepresentable at a second frame rate; and transmitting, by a transmitter,the first data stream and the second data stream to a receptionapparatus, wherein the second frame rate is higher than the first framerate.

(23) The method of feature (22), further including generating abroadcast signal including the first data stream, the second datastream, and metadata associated with the video content, wherein themetadata indicates one or a combination of the frame rate of the videocontent and a predetermined blinking frequency for the video content.

(24) The method of feature (23), wherein the metadata indicates ashutter angle when the video content is shot or an effective shutterangle when the video content is computer graphic generated.

(25) The method of feature (23) or (24), wherein the metadata indicatesan average picture brightness.

(26) An information providing apparatus, including processing circuitryconfigured to generate a first data stream of the video content, thefirst data stream including a first subset of frames of the videocontent that is presentable at a first frame rate, and generate a seconddata stream of the video content, the second data stream including asecond subset of frames of the video content which in combination withthe first subset of frames are presentable at a second frame rate, and atransmitter configured to transmit the first data stream and the seconddata stream to a reception apparatus, wherein the second frame rate ishigher than the first frame rate.

(27) The information providing apparatus of feature (26), wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to generate a broadcast signalincluding the first data stream, the second data stream, and metadataassociated with the video content, wherein the metadata indicates one ora combination of the frame rate of the video content and a predeterminedblinking frequency for the video content.

(28) The information providing apparatus of feature (27), wherein themetadata indicates a shutter angle when the video content is shot or aneffective shutter angle when the video content is computer graphicgenerated.

(29) The information providing apparatus of feature (27) or (28),wherein the metadata indicates an average picture brightness.

(30) A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions,which when executed by at least one processor cause the at least oneprocessor to perform the method of any one of features (1) to (11).

(31) A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions,which when executed by at least one processor cause the at least oneprocessor to perform the method of any one of features (22) to (25).

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying video content, themethod comprising: determining whether a frame rate of the video contentis higher than a maximum refresh rate capability of a display;determining, by processing circuitry, a blinking frequency to be usedduring presentation of the video content for a light source of thedisplay when the frame rate of the video content is determined to behigher than the maximum refresh rate capability of the display; setting,by the processing circuitry, the blinking frequency for the light sourceof the display based on the determined blinking frequency; andcontrolling, by the processing circuitry, the light source of thedisplay to blink according to the set blinking frequency while the videocontent is presented on the display.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the step of determining the blinking frequency comprises:determining the frame rate of the video content, and determining theblinking frequency of the light source of the display according to thedetermined frame rate of the video content.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the step of determining the blinking frequencycomprises: determining the blinking frequency of the light source of thedisplay based on metadata that is associated with the video content, themetadata indicating one or a combination of the frame rate of the videocontent and a predetermined blinking frequency for the video content. 4.The method according to claim 3, wherein the metadata indicates ashutter angle when the video content is shot or an effective shutterangle when the video content is computer graphic generated.
 5. Themethod according to claim 3, wherein the metadata indicates an averagepicture brightness.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stepof controlling comprises: controlling a supply of power to the lightsource according to the set blinking frequency.
 7. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the light source is a backlight, and the step ofcontrolling includes controlling the backlight to blink at the setblinking frequency.
 8. The method according to claim 1, farthercomprising: receiving, by a receiver, first and second data streams ofthe video content, the first data stream including a first subset offrames of the video content that are presentable at a first frame rate,and the second data stream including a second subset of frames of thevideo content which in combination with the first subset of frames arepresentable at a second frame rate; and outputting, for presentation onthe display, images of the video content included in only the first datastream to the display, wherein the second frame rate is higher than thefirst frame rate, and the step of determining determines whether thesecond frame rate of the video content is higher than the maximumrefresh rate capability of the display.
 9. The method according to claim1, wherein the step of setting comprises: setting the blinking frequencyto the frame rate of the video content.
 10. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the step of setting comprises: setting the blinkingfrequency to 0 Hz when the frame rate of the video content is determinedto not be higher than the maximum refresh rate capability of thedisplay.
 11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:receiving, by a receiver, a terrestrial broadcast signal including thevideo content, wherein the maximum refresh rate capability is 60 Hz. 12.A display apparatus, comprising: a light source configured to illuminatea display; and processing circuitry configured to determine whether aframe rate of the video content is higher than a maximum refresh ratecapability of the display; determine a blinking frequency to be usedduring presentation of the video content for the light source of thedisplay when the frame rate of the video content is determined to behigher than the maximum refresh rate capability of the display; set theblinking frequency for the light source of the display based on thedetermined blinking frequency; and control the light source of thedisplay to blink according to the set blinking frequency while the videocontent is presented on the display.
 13. The display apparatus accordingto claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determinethe frame rate of the video content, and determine the blinkingfrequency of the light source of the display according to the determinedframe rate of the video content.
 14. The display apparatus according toclaim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determinethe blinking frequency of the light source of the display based onmetadata that is associated with the video content, the metadataindicating one or a combination of the frame rate of the video contentand a predetermined blinking frequency for the video content.
 15. Thedisplay apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the metadata indicatesa shutter angle when the video content is shot or an effective shutterangle when the video content is computer graphic generated.
 16. Thedisplay apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the metadata indicatesan average picture brightness.
 17. The display apparatus according toclaim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control asupply of power to the light source according to the set blinkingfrequency.
 18. The display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein thelight source is a backlight, and the processing circuitry is configuredto control the backlight to blink at the set blinking frequency.
 19. Thedisplay apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive first and second data streams of the videocontent, the first data stream including a first subset of frames of thevideo content that are presentable at a first frame rate, and the seconddata stream including a second subset of frames of the video contentwhich in combination with the first subset of frames are presentable ata second frame rate, wherein the processing circuitry is configured tooutput, for presentation on the display, images of the video contentincluded in only the first data stream to the display, the second framerate is higher than the first frame rate, and the processing circuitryis configured to determine whether the second frame rate of the videocontent is higher than the maximum refresh rate capability of thedisplay.
 20. The display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to set the blinking frequency to theframe rate of the video content.
 21. The display apparatus according toclaim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to set theblinking frequency to 0 Hz when the frame rate of the video content isdetermined to not be higher than the maximum refresh rate capability ofthe display.
 22. A method for transmitting video content, the methodcomprising: generating, by processing circuitry, a first data stream ofthe video content, the first data stream including a first subset offrames of the video content that is presentable at a first frame rate;generating, by the processing circuitry, a second data stream of thevideo content, the second data stream including a second subset offrames of the video content which in combination with the first subsetof frames are presentable at a second frame rate; and transmitting, by atransmitter, the first data stream and the second data stream to areception apparatus, wherein the second frame rate is higher than thefirst frame rate, and a blinking frequency to be used duringpresentation of the video content for a light source of a display onwhich the video content is presented is determined by the receptionapparatus when the second frame rate of the video content is determinedto be higher than a maximum refresh rate capability of the display. 23.The method according to claim 22, further comprising: generating abroadcast signal including the first data stream, the second datastream, and metadata associated with the video content, wherein themetadata indicates one or a combination of the second frame rate of thevideo content and a predetermined blinking frequency for the videocontent.
 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the metadataindicates a shutter angle when the video content is shot or an effectiveshutter angle when the video content is computer graphic generated. 25.The method according to claim 23, wherein the metadata indicates anaverage picture brightness.